544 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. IV., No. 98. 



The reindeer, seeing their enemy, trot away 

 until they come within sight of the piles of 

 stones, when, believing themselves to be sur- 



Fig. 2. 



rounded, they take to the water. Then the 

 Innuit follow in their kiaks, and easily over- 

 take the bewildered animals. A herd of rein- 

 deer, when undisturbed, will repeatedly graze 

 near such a line of cairns without any further 

 notice than a few suspicious glances. 



Depending as the}' do upon such a precari- 

 ous chase, the Netschilluks are poorly clothed. 

 As the}^ live nearest to the pole of minimum 

 temperature, it is interesting to note their 

 methods of combating the cold. Their igloos 

 are the warmest I saw in the Arctic : they are 

 very low, as shown in fig. 4, the dotted lines 

 indicating the usual height. With such a 

 cramped space, the heat from the lamp and 







S* 



Fig. 3. 



from the bodies of the Innuit is naturally 

 economized to the utmost. 



They have an unlimited supply of seal and 

 ookjook (great seal) oil for lamp-use, while 

 they devour enormous quantities of seal- 

 blubber. Their consumption of fat, even dur- 

 ing the summer and autumn months, when I 

 saw them, was noticeably greater than that of 

 other tribes. Their reputation for thieving is 

 not conspicuous, and they generally tell the 

 truth. They treat their children well, espe- 

 cially the boys, but still practise to a limited 



degree female infanticide. They have the usual 

 superstitious beliefs of savages, but are to be 

 credited with having devised a physical theory 

 to account for a physical phenomenon. They 

 never have seen wood growing, and only know 

 it as driftwood scattered on the shore. They 

 see the logs frozen in the ice before they are 

 cast upon the shore, and believe the timber to 

 be a growth on the bottom of the ocean (fig. 

 5), which, when it reaches to a certain height, 

 is nipped off b}^ the ice, and borne to the land. 

 It was on one of their wood-seeking trips that 

 the Netschilluks learned so much regarding the 

 ill-fated Franklin part} 7 . These trips are at 

 rare intervals ; and wood enough is secured to 



Fig. 4. 



last for five or ten years, as this part of the 

 countiy is almost destitute of game. 



The Netschilluks' fear of their western neigh- 

 bors was well illustrated by their reception of 

 our party. As soon as they discovered us 

 approaching, the women and children withdrew 

 to the snow-huts, while the men formed in line 

 with drawn bows, one arrow fixed, and the 

 whole quiver brought around in convenient 

 position for the use of the others. At my 

 guide's request, I fired a gun in the air to show 

 them that we were white men : this seemed to 

 frighten them more than ever. At last an old 

 woman was sent forward to meet Ikgueesik, 

 whom I had directed to go toward them ; and 



Fig. 5. 



the poor old hag came forward, trembling, 

 with a perfect bewilderment of volubility to 

 strengthen her fast-failing courage. 



